Man Sought in Marine's Slaying

A 22-year-old man is being sought in connection with the killing of Josiah Fulton, a Marine who was assigned to President Bush's military security detail, D.C. police announced yesterday.

An arrest warrant for Carlos Almanza, who has previously listed addresses in south Arlington, charges him with first-degree murder in the death of Fulton, police said in a statement yesterday.

Police said Almanza and Fulton, 21, had an altercation Dec. 21 inside the Insomnia club, in the 700 block of Sixth Street NW.

Fulton later was jumped at Sixth and G streets NW and fatally stabbed, police said. A fellow Marine was wounded in the leg when he tried to intervene.

In previous court cases in the District -- one a charge of urinating in public, the other a traffic offense -- Almanza listed addresses in the 1100 block of South Thomas Street and the 5000 block of South Ninth Street in Arlington. Investigators are asking anyone with information about Almanza's whereabouts to call D.C. police at 202-727-9099.

Recent arrests have improved the clearance rate for homicides to 54 percent, D.C. police announced, reversing a trend that prompted criticism from Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and D.C. Council members. The new mark is 4 percentage points higher than in 2001 but still below the national average for cities the size of Washington.

Cases in which arrests have recently been made include:

* The killing of Franklin D. Davis, 29, who neighbors said was tossing a football with his daughter and other children when he was shot Dec. 22 in the 1500 block of Butler Street SE. Police arrested Michael J. Young, 17, who they said shot Davis in retaliation for being beaten by one of Davis's friends.

* The shooting of Shawn M. Garcia on Oct. 27 in the 5400 block of First Street NW. Police said that Brian C. White, 20, of the District shot Garcia during an altercation.

* The Nov. 25 shooting of Shaun Kelly, 17, in the 200 block of K Street NW. Police say Kelly was part of a group of men who carjacked Leonard Toney, 22, of Woodbridge on Nov. 24. A day later, Toney shot Kelly six times, police said.

* The Dec. 21 shooting of Nathaniel D. Jones in the 2300 block of Pitts Place SE. Police say Dwight Smith, 25, of Capitol Heights beat Jones with a revolver and then shot him twice for unknown reasons.

Two unrelated homicides also were added to the city's tally over the weekend. Antwan Simons, 20, of the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE, was found shot multiple times in the 1800 block of L Street NE at 5 p.m. Saturday. At 3:40 a.m. Sunday, Tommy Martin, 27, was found shot dead behind the wheel of a car in the 4900 block of Call Place SE. He had been shot several times.

There have been 261 homicides this year, 28 more than in 2001.

Carlos Almanza is accused of fatally stabbing a Marine who was part of President Bush's military security detail.

David A. FahrentholdDavid A. Fahrenthold is a reporter covering the Trump family and its business interests. He has been at The Washington Post since 2000, and previously covered Congress, the federal bureaucracy, the environment and the D.C. police. Follow